Book review | No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe

If
you were among the many that wondered what became of Okonkwo’s family after he
hung himself in Things Fall Apart, then wonder no more. And no, this is no
longer about sacrificing an adopted son, evil forests, wrestling, wars and
conquering villages, it is about a time from a bit more present.

The
descendants of the great Okonkwo find themselves as a devoted Christian father
and a well-learned son. Obi Okonkwo is the name of the grandchild of the late
Okonkwo of Umuofia. He is the first person from Umuofia to cross the seas of
Nigeria into the great England. Sent from a loan contribution by all the
households in Umuofia to study law, Obi returns to Nigeria, an English graduate
and in love with an Osu.

Although
the people of Umuofia are ready to condone the change of profession, and even
give him all the time in the world to repay the loan, what they would not
condone, is an outcast, marrying their very own son of the soil. And because
Obi is driven by the need for reform, and the zeal to not conform, he takes
none of that. Driven by his need to prove himself right, he losses himself in the
ocean that is the life of a non-conformist in a Nigerian society.

Set
in Lagos, in a time over a decade ago, it is important to note how the circumstances
defining society, attitudinal patterns and general perceptions have not changed
as much. So many sentiments still play a role in how activities are carried out
in the country. This in turn births expectations. Where these
expectations are unmet, it frustrates one into decisions that could prove
disastrous.

I

A
young man returns from studies, gains a job and automatically is leveled with
so much expectations from his community. Asides the study loan he needs to pay
back, he takes on family responsibilities, is expected to attend communal
gatherings, smile where he is offended and forever thank the gods and his
community men for the grace of education.

II

When
choosing a spouse, he falls for an outcast- an osu. Although his Father, as we remember from Things Fall Apart had since chosen the Christian way of life where
everyone is one blood and the child of God, he refuses to see why his learned
son should marry an outcast. Perhaps this finally pushes his mother to her
grave. It is why he splits from his fiancée eventually.

III

The
illusion of certainty of finance is what drives men to their graves. In this
case, it is what builds a prison cell for Obi. It is the expectations, the losses
and the frustration that comes with balancing imagination with the reality of
the country that inevitably leads him down the path of many. Yet only amateurs get
caught in the web of bribery and corruption.

And
so it happens that a promising young man earns himself a gloomy future.

However,
what we should ask as a generation, is, if as a county, we are getting any
better or if we are as stagnant as we were years ago.